Author
Topic: raised beds in new plot (Read 2823 times)

I fully agree I cannot see how seperate beds can be more productive than a normal plot. With nice straight rows of veg you can run a hoe over the whole plot in next to no time but to hand weed between plants can take a long time.

I can understand putting raised beds in if you have a waterlogged plot or if you have health problems which prevent you digging. From my personal point of view I have never contemplated doing it . I took on a derelict plot 5 years ago broken greenhouse thick weeds etc. Only through hard work from my wife and myself have we now got one of the best on the site. I try to feed 3 families with my produce and to put raise beds in would cut my produce by 20% which would mean less for everyone. It is very much a personal thing but certainly not for me.

Raised beds are very productive for a small space but IMHO a bit too labour intensive on a big scale... I'm in the process of raising the beds (3x 4 foot by about 16) at home, though they won't be the waist high things you see in some places.... but my home topsoil is very thin.... the plan is to import topsoil+compost each year for the GH beds and dig it out each year onto the rasied beds.... the allotment just gets manure over nearly all of it (parsnips and carrots are a home crop) plants are a bit fruther apart, I can hoe it easily and the rotavator does most of the digging and all of the muck incorporating....

I struck lucky today , I went to the allotment to cut up all the old wood ready to have a good bonfire to burn all the old carpet etc. that has couch grass and bindweed growing through it. I commented to another plot owner that I was concerned about the amount of smoke that it would cause as my plot is beside the village hall. He has told me if I get it in a pile he will take it away to a skip for me. We have said since we moved here last year what a good area it is.